How about going after some US scammers?

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Hello I'm New here! Joined: 25 Sep 2008 Posts: 9

So, recently I received a phone call from 360-xxx-xxxx. totally out of area as I'm on the other side of the country. It starts with some recorded message about how they are calling from 'account services' and want to lower the rate on my credit card, and that there is no problem with my current card. Then it says to 'push 1 for more information'.
Naturally, I'm already highly dubious that this is legit at all. I figure I'll just speak with some poor rep making minimum wage, tell them that I'm on the DNC list, have them remove me from their call list, and be done with it.
The intensely ghetto sounding woman on the other line decided to be not only vague when asked about what card she was calling from and avoiding other questions, but when I asked her to "Do me a favor and take me off the call list" she said "No, you need to do me a favor and not press one because you sound like a dickhead."
Reported to BBB? Check.
Reported to DNC.org? Check.
Reported to state attorney general? Check.
And now, I turn to the lovely world of internet justice. Any thoughts?

Mod edit to obfuscate phone number - JF

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 11:32 pm

I sympathize with you,and feel the same way but this really is not baitable.It may be shady as hell,but it has nothing to do with advance fee fraud which is what we deal with here.
I can tell you that much enjoyment can be had by keeping them on the phone as long as possible and giving them totally insane answers.I had one similar on the phone for over 10 minutes yesterday Very Happy

Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2011 12:39 am

I was obliged to obfuscate the listed number as it violates forum rules to list phone numbers or addresses without firm substantiation of a scam. There's way too much opportunity for abuse.

In any event, as Doc Holliday say, that sort of telemarketing is outside of our scope. We fight advance fee fraud, not shady but legitimate businesses operating boiler room call centers and ignoring the Do Not Call list.

I am not exaggerating in the slightest when I say that between my business and home telephone lines I get 10-15 such calls every single day. If a number shows on caller ID -- often it won't -- I go to www.whocalled.us and look up who the caller actually is. Sometimes it's a legitimate charity, or a business like Sears trying to pitch me on a service contract. Those are legal calls under the DNC. For those that aren't, I go to the FCC's DNC complaint center and file a formal complaint.

Ultimately, the only thing you can do is ignore them. You certainly can't bait them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrFhAbilj48

Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2011 12:51 am

Quote:

You certainly can't bait them.

Come on, where's your imagination, anyone, anytime can be baited, you just need the right line or subject at the right moment.
But I don't like phone baits anymore, although this one on the same continent might keep decent hours for their calls back Twisted Evil

Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2011 12:54 am

doc holliday wrote:

I had one similar on the phone for over 10 minutes yesterday

You are to be commended. Thumbs up

Usually these guys hang up with the first hint that you are not serious or when you tell them they are running a scam.

@Malvorich: that phone number is likely spoofed to look like they are operating from the 360 area code. These guys move on a soon as the authorities turn the heat up on them. Stopping them is like playing whack-a-mole.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 14 Sep 2011 Posts: 39

I used to work for Sears in their telemarketing department and we actually had a call that was placed where the contact kept the rep on the line for 3 hours with questions about the product. The Supervisors were monitoring the call and kept a running update for us on the different questions the contact was asking.

Even we hate telemarketing sometimes it does serve a legitimate purpose.

Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2011 2:54 am

^^^^

Quote:

Even we hate telemarketing sometimes it does serve a legitimate purpose.

In my house we call it entertainment.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 14 Sep 2011 Posts: 39

Telemarketing has become so evil lately with autodialers. I even hate getting calls from them now.

Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2011 3:24 am

Back in '00 I had just moved in to a new apartment in North Carolina. I mean really new, not just new to me. The complex was about 90% completed with construction and about 20% leased.

I had also just set up a field office in the area and within minutes of having the phone connected, I get a call from someone who would be very interested in giving me a quote on some new siding. I said that I was most certainly interested in some siding, but I also wanted some sturdy windows and a Spanish tile roof. Twisted Evil

They, unfortunately, did not offer Spanish tile roofing, but they had some red shingles that he was certain would be to my liking, and give a similar look to the Spanish tile. Being easily persuaded, I told him I would consider the shingles, so long as he brought a full set of samples so I could compare and contrast the various options. He asked for my name and address, so I gave him a fake name and the address to my apartment complex's office.

I can't say what happened when the estimator/salesman arrived at the apartments (I wasn't there), but I can imagine that someone in the phone sales room got an ass chewing when he returned. Laughing

Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2011 3:31 am

bill2 wrote:

[although this one on the same continent might keep decent hours for their calls back

The problem is, 90% of the time if you call the number shown on caller ID you'll get a message saying that number is not in service. I've done that a few times just to <strike>request</strike> demand they remove me from their list. You can't get through. You can only toy with them if you answer the actual call. And with automated calling it can sometimes take as long as a full minute for someone to actually come on the line after your first 'hello.' Pretty dumb marketing, in my opinion, but that's the way most seem to work.

Elite Baiter Joined: 19 Jun 2011 Posts: 1066

Whatever happened to telezappers? They worked wonders back in the day. Are they still effective or have telemarketers figured out how to get around them?

Not quite a Newb Joined: 14 Sep 2011 Posts: 39

they have figured how to get around them. There is a list you can sign up for through the DMCA that is a no call list but only legitimate companies subscribe to it.

Elite Baiter Joined: 19 Jun 2011 Posts: 1066

^^^ Well, we're on the Do Not Call list. Unfortuantely, that pretty much gets ignored on a routine basis. We basically just don't pick up the phone for any number we don't recognize. And if the call is really that important, the person will leave a message. That pretty much solves the problem.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 14 Sep 2011 Posts: 39

true that works but if you get the company name when they call you can file a complaint on them with the FTC for violating the do not call list.

One of my favorite things to do to them is to bait them and ask questions.
or you can put the phone down and walk away if they are in the script and come back in a few minutes.

Best one that happened to me when I was working at Sears was someone took the phone into the bathroom while they had a bout of explosive diarrhea.

Elite Baiter Joined: 19 Jun 2011 Posts: 1066

^^^^ I used to do things like that but then I started noticing that, if you answer the phone, even if you're messing with them, you start getting even more calls. Ignoring the calls makes them stop eventually. Last year, when my husband was actively job hunting and sending his phone number out, we were get about 5-10 unsolicted calls a day. We never answered a single one. Withing a couple of weeks, we weren't getting any.

Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 5:09 am

What you are describing is an increasingly common scam. While technically, there is nothing to stop you from baiting it, (ignoring safe baiting concerns, that is) you won't generally get very far.

These are fairly well-organized scams that hit fast and hard. They usually don't leave voicemails.

In the standard variation, they claim to be from an unspecified credit card company and say they can lower your interest rates. They are looking for people who will respond quickly and ask no questions. The moment you ask what company they represent, ask any questions that suggest you have a clue, or bring up the no-call list, they will often hang up. If you are responsive, they will try to get your credit card number and personal info immediately, and by the time you hang up, they have already passed it on, and someone is probably charging it to the max.

In another variant of the scam , they will actually call your credit card company and ask for a reduced rate, which of course the company will refuse--they will then charge you a hefty fee for their "service".

As far as reporting them to the FTC goes, it's pointless. Of course they don't care about the no-call list. They are not legitimate businesses. They are criminals who are already concealing their true identities, since they obviously could end up facing more than a few little fines. They will use one number for a short time, then will move on to the next phone number, often calling the same phone numbers with each new round.

Here's one of many articles about the scam.
http://moneywatch.bnet.com/saving-money/blog/devil-details/its-a-credit-card-scam-dont-fall-for-it/106/

Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 1:25 pm

We used to get many telemarketers' calls around dinner time.

Whatever they were selling, we did not have.

1. Called talking about waterproofing our basement. I retorted we did not have a basement. (Now everyone in our region at that time had a basement.)

2. Called about cleaning our carpeting/upholstered furniture. My reply was we had hardwood floors and no upholstered furniture.

3. Caller yacked about something to do for a garage; and my comeback was we had no garage.

Hubby told me after all this, one day they will call about roofing the house!

4. Yep, we had a call about re-roofing our house roof. And yep, with a casual tone in my voice retorted "We don't have a roof, we live in a tent" and put the phone down and continued with dinner.

Soon thereafter the DNC law was implemented and it cut down those dinner time marketing calls. However, if it is a business you have done business with, they apparently are legally permitted to call you.

With no landline and a cell phone, any call which pops up UNKNOWN or NUMBER UNAVAILABLE does not get answered and if a 800/866/etc shows up again no answer, same with out of area area codes.

Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 12:09 am

I have done something similar Morgaine. When ever they call and mangle my name or ask for me by a name I rarely use, I tell them "He died last week" with a real somber tone.

It makes them go away and I rarely get calls like that any more. Twisted Evil

Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 4:44 am

When I saw the Topic title I thought we were going to run a mass bait on Congress and the Senate . . . Twisted Evil

Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 5:09 am

I'm not sure if the phone company has a way to filter and replace caller ID, but I had a very pleasant caller ID surprise. The caller ID showed the caller as Card Scam. I took the call just to check and yup, it was an automated call touting lowering my card interest rate. I hung up on the robot and did not press one.

I did not want to inform them what the Caller ID showed.
Very Happy

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 04 Sep 2011 Posts: 11

I recently got one of those calls and pressed one. The very helpful gentleman ask about my credit card balance and I told them it was around 12k and I would love to lower my rate. When he ask for the CC number I put the phone down for a couple of minutes and returned to tell him I couldn't find my wallet and I must have left it in the car and would go get it. I put the phone down and went back to watching TV. I checked about ten minutes later and could tell that he was still on the line so I went back to my program. Eventually I just hung it up and I guess he was still on the line because I almost immediately got another call from that number that I didn't answer. A small victory but still a victory.

Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2011 1:39 pm

whocallsme.com is a useful resource when you get these calls. They let you list the number and post comments - and when another user reports the same number they are linked. Often, additional numbers for the same company are located and occasionally even names/addresses are there. I am still not sure about baiting them - if they are calling you on your home phone associated with your real-life identity, and presumably they are in the States, baiting them is probably a bad idea. But gathering info and reporting them? Definitely a good idea IMHO.

Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2011 3:05 pm

whocalled.us is another resource in the same vein. I usually report calls there, then click their handy link to the FCC page to file a formal report if the data shows it's not a legal call under the DNC rules.

Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2011 3:24 pm

The site whocalled.us doesn't work anymore, expired domain!!

Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2011 4:55 pm

Well, that's disturbing. Confused

Edit: WHOIS shows another year on the registration:

Quote:

Created: 2005-10-24
Expires: 2012-10-23
Updated: 2011-10-24

It's down now but it must be a glitch.

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